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Republicans Are as Tainted by the Russia Scandal as Trump
The president's complete lack of integrity is rubbing off on the party at large.
BY BRIAN BEUTLER
May 18, 2017
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"...The most damning thing about the Access Hollywood tape wasn’t that Trump said his celebrity empowers him to “grab” women “by the pussy,” but the ample testimony from women who say Trump pulled that very move on them. The best indicia of Trump’s collaboration with Russian intelligence wasn’t his saying, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 [Clinton] emails that are missing.” It was his reflexive need to sow doubt about the identity of the hackers (“If it is Russia, which it’s probably not. Nobody knows who it is.”) in the face of broad consensus that the hackers were, indeed, Russian—all while reveling in the contents of the theft, and rewarding Russia with policy concessions. And the clearest sign of Trump’s frame of mind in his exchange with Comey wasn’t the special pleading on Flynn’s behalf, but what he did before asking Comey to “let this go”:
Mr. Comey had been in the Oval Office that day with other senior national security officials for a terrorism threat briefing. When the meeting ended, Mr. Trump told those present — including Mr. Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions — to leave the room except for Mr. Comey.
Comey did not let Flynn go. And less than three months later, as Comey’s investigation heated up, Trump fired him..."
https://newrepublic.com/article/142761/republicans-tainted-russia-scandal-trump
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The president's complete lack of integrity is rubbing off on the party at large.
BY BRIAN BEUTLER
May 18, 2017
[...]
"...The most damning thing about the Access Hollywood tape wasn’t that Trump said his celebrity empowers him to “grab” women “by the pussy,” but the ample testimony from women who say Trump pulled that very move on them. The best indicia of Trump’s collaboration with Russian intelligence wasn’t his saying, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 [Clinton] emails that are missing.” It was his reflexive need to sow doubt about the identity of the hackers (“If it is Russia, which it’s probably not. Nobody knows who it is.”) in the face of broad consensus that the hackers were, indeed, Russian—all while reveling in the contents of the theft, and rewarding Russia with policy concessions. And the clearest sign of Trump’s frame of mind in his exchange with Comey wasn’t the special pleading on Flynn’s behalf, but what he did before asking Comey to “let this go”:
Mr. Comey had been in the Oval Office that day with other senior national security officials for a terrorism threat briefing. When the meeting ended, Mr. Trump told those present — including Mr. Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions — to leave the room except for Mr. Comey.
Comey did not let Flynn go. And less than three months later, as Comey’s investigation heated up, Trump fired him..."
https://newrepublic.com/article/142761/republicans-tainted-russia-scandal-trump
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